Devouring Beast Flames, Advancing to a Five-Star Dou Master

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After the two said goodbye at the entrance, Xiao Yan's figure quickly vanished into the crowds on the street.

Ya Fei stood at the door and watched for a while before turning and returning to the private room on the second floor.

Gu Ni was still inside, tidying up the jade boxes and bottles on the table.

"Uncle Gu Ni." Ya Fei closed the door, walked to Gu Ni's side, and asked, "What rank do you think the Alchemist behind Xiao Yan might be?"

Gu Ni carefully placed the jade box in his hand into his Storage Ring, straightened up, and said seriously, "Anyone capable of nurturing such a young Second-Rank Alchemist as Xiao Yan is definitely no lower than a fifth-rank Alchemist. They could even be sixth-rank."

"Sixth-rank?" Ya Fei's heart jolted, and her voice unconsciously rose. "Wouldn't that make him about the same level as Pill King Gu He?"

She had thought Xiao Yan was a golden-scaled fish trapped in a shallow pool, waiting for the moment he could break free, grow scales and become a dragon, then soar straight into the heavens.

But now, it seemed she had been wrong.

Xiao Yan was not some little fish waiting to transform. He had long since become a golden dragon looking down upon all living things. It was merely that the world's eyes were too shallow to see it.

Gu Ni put away the last jade bottle, turned to Ya Fei, hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke.

"Miss Ya Fei, there is one more thing."

"What is it?"

"From what I can sense, Young Master Xiao Yan's Dou Qi seems to have reached the One-Star Dou Master level."

Gu Ni's words were like a heavy hammer striking Ya Fei directly in the chest.

She stood frozen in place. The expression on her face shifted from surprise to disbelief, then from disbelief into an indescribable complexity.

A Dou Master at fifteen and a half, a Second-Rank Alchemist at fifteen and a half—either achievement alone was enough to leave the geniuses of the Jia Ma Empire in the dust.

But when both achievements were gathered in one person, "genius" was no longer enough to describe him.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan did not rush to absorb the Beast Flames after returning to the Xiao Clan.

He changed into a clean set of clothes and sat in the courtyard, basking in the sun for half the day.

Over the next few days, he neither cultivated nor went to the back mountain to practice with his ruler. He simply stayed within the Xiao Clan estate, drank tea with Xiao Zhan several times, and accompanied Xiao Xun'er around Wutan City...

The reason he allowed himself to relax was entirely because of Yao Lao's words. He had said, "Little Yan, you've been pushing yourself too hard. Why not rest for a few days?"

So Xiao Yan followed Yao Lao's advice and chose to rest.

Yao Lao was right as well. Xiao Yan had gone from Three-Level Dou Zhi Qi back to Eight-Star Dou Fighter, then broken through to become a One-Star Dou Master, all in less than two weeks.

Such speed would have left anyone who heard of it utterly dumbfounded, but both Yao Lao and Xiao Yan knew that it was too fast and too rushed.

Every stage of cultivation possessed its own unique meaning.

The Dou Zhi Qi stage tempered one's foundation, while the Dou Practitioner stage accumulated one's reserves. Every stay at a minor realm and every insight gained during a breakthrough laid the groundwork for the road ahead.

Although Xiao Yan possessed the Heaven-Burning Divine Art and the Undying Divine Flame, meaning that no matter how many Beast Flames he devoured or how much his cultivation rose, he would not suffer from an unstable foundation or superficial Dou Qi, he would still lack comprehension and understanding of each cultivation stage itself.

The Dou Practitioner stage was still manageable.

Xiao Yan had reached Eight-Star Dou Fighter when he was eleven. It could be said that he had personally walked the road of a Dou Practitioner, so after recovering to his peak, he had broken through without hesitation. It would not affect his cultivation in the slightest.

But the Dou Master stage was different. If he continued to rely on devouring Beast Flames to charge upward without lingering at this stage or deepening his understanding, then his accumulation as a Dou Master would be nothing but a blank.

It might not seem to matter in the short term, but when he sought higher realms in the future, those blanks would gradually reveal themselves and become hidden reefs blocking his path.

That was why Xiao Yan gave himself a few days off.

Five days later, Xiao Yan returned to the hidden cave in the back mountain.

Xiao Yan took a meditation cushion from his Storage Ring and sat down cross-legged. He then removed the six storage containers from his Storage Ring one by one and arranged them in a row on the ground before him.

Five clusters of Third-Order Beast Flame and one cluster of Fourth-Order Beast Flame.

Xiao Yan reached out and opened the first container.

A wave of heat rushed at his face. Crimson flames rose from the container, and he guided them before him with Dou Qi.

He opened his mouth, and the flames transformed into a thin thread that entered his mouth and slid down his throat into his body.

The Heaven-Burning Divine Art began to circulate. The energy within the flames was separated, with one portion sent to the Myriad Flame Source Seed in his dantian and another merging into the cultivation pathways of the Heaven-Burning Divine Art.

One after another.

The five clusters of Third-Order Beast Flame were swallowed and refined in succession, and Xiao Yan's Dou Qi level slowly rose.

After absorbing those flames, faint patterns appeared across the surface of Xiao Yan's Flame Spirit Body. Two patterns flickered in and out beneath his skin—his Two-Pattern Flame Spirit Body.

As for his Dou Qi, the One-Star Dou Master bottleneck was broken through when the third Beast Flame entered his body, and his aura steadily settled at the Two-Star Dou Master level.

The six Beast Flames were all relatively low-ranked. Combined, they were not even comparable to the Sixth-Rank Beast Flame, Amethyst Lion-Lion, that Xiao Yan had devoured in the original story.

Achieving such improvement was already quite good.

"Now for the main event."

Xiao Yan opened his eyes, and his consciousness sank into the System Space.

A cluster of dark-purple flames was extracted from the System Space and appeared before Xiao Yan.

The instant the flames appeared, the temperature inside the cave abruptly soared. The Moonlight Stones on the walls gave off several faint cracking sounds, while fragments of stone rustled down from the ceiling.

Within the flames, the face of Yama faintly emerged and twisted, sometimes clear and sometimes blurred, as though something were struggling and churning within the fire.

Seventh-Tier Beast Flame, Yama Flame.

Xiao Yan did not hesitate. Opening his mouth, he swallowed the dark-purple flames in a single gulp.

The flames slid down his throat and into his abdomen. There was no burning sensation and no rejection.

This was a flame rewarded by the system. The instant the system issued it, it had already been marked with Xiao Yan's imprint. The energy within held no hostility toward him and rested quietly inside him, waiting to be refined.

The Heaven-Burning Divine Art circulated at full power.

The energy within the Yama Flame was stripped away layer by layer by the cultivation art. Pure flame power flowed along his meridians toward his dantian. Part of it was absorbed by the Myriad Flame Source Seed, which slowly spun in his dantian as dark-purple light shimmered across its surface.

The other portion merged into the cultivation pathways of the Heaven-Burning Divine Art, pushing the technique toward a higher rank.

Within the Bone Flame Ring, Yao Lao sensed the aura of those flames as well.

He floated within the space inside the ring, his eyes slightly closed as his Soul Power passed through the ring and sensed everything outside.

Although the aura of that flame was not as tyrannical as a Heavenly Flame, its rank was extremely high. It was far beyond the second- and third-order Beast Flames Xiao Yan had devoured before.

Seventh Tier—equivalent to a magical beast at the Dou Zong level. Looking across the entire Jia Ma Empire, there were not even a few such beasts to be found.

There was little surprise on Yao Lao's face.

From the moment Xiao Yan had produced those mysterious pills and Dou Techniques, he had known that the youth possessed secrets unknown to others.

Yao Lao had cultivated to the realm of a Peak Dou Venerable and was also an Eighth-Rank Grand Alchemy Master. If he could not see even that much, then he would have lived those decades for nothing.

But when it came to secrets, he had no interest in digging to the bottom of them.

Over the past three years, he had watched Xiao Yan advance step by step. He had watched him grit his teeth and persist through the cold stares of the Xiao Clan, and watched him cultivate alone until exhaustion in the dead of night.

Their time together had allowed him to see his disciple's character clearly.

A horse's strength was known only after a long journey, and a person's heart only after time. Since he already understood what kind of person Xiao Yan was, what did it matter whether Xiao Yan had secrets?

Secrets were everyone's right. Hadn't Yao Lao himself spent his entire life covered in secrets?

As long as Xiao Yan was his disciple, that was enough.

At that thought, Yao Lao silently mobilized his Soul Power and spread it outward from the Bone Flame Ring, covering the entire cave.

If anything happened, he would act at once to protect Xiao Yan.

The cave fell into prolonged silence, broken only by the faint currents of air stirred by the circulating Heaven-Burning Divine Art.

Time slowly passed as the Yama Flame within Xiao Yan's body was gradually refined.

The energy within the flames grew scarcer and scarcer, while the Heaven-Burning Divine Art circulated ever faster.

When the final wisp of flame power was stripped away and devoured, a dull hum rang out within Xiao Yan's body. It was the resonance created by energy surging through his meridians.

Xiao Yan opened his eyes.

The dark-purple radiance in the cave had already faded, leaving behind only the faint white glow of the Moonlight Stones. He raised both hands, spreading and clenching his fingers as he sensed the surging power within his body.

This improvement could be called enormous.

First came his Dou Qi.

Before devouring the Yama Flame, he had been a Two-Star Dou Master. Now, he had directly risen three stars and reached the Five-Star Dou Master level.

The gap from Two-Star to Five-Star was not small. Under normal cultivation, even with the Heaven-Burning Divine Art's assistance, it would have taken several months.

Then came his cultivation art.

The Heaven-Burning Divine Art had originally been High Mystic Tier. After devouring this Seventh-Tier Beast Flame, it had not broken through to Low Earth Tier, but it had already reached the Quasi-Earth Tier level.

Its cultivation speed, Dou Qi recovery efficiency, and Dou Qi reserves had all undergone earthshaking improvements compared to before.

Last was the Flame Spirit Body.

The Flame Spirit Body had advanced from two patterns to three, and his physical strength had directly leaped to a level comparable to a Nine-Star Dou Master.

That meant that without using Dou Qi, he could rely solely on his physical strength to confront a Nine-Star Dou Master head-on.

Xiao Yan rose to his feet and moved his body around inside the cave.

The sudden surge in power brought a strange feeling of expansion, as though every muscle and bone in his body had been reforged. Beneath every inch of skin lay stronger explosive force than before.

But the sensation also made him somewhat uncomfortable. His control over the weight of his movements had become skewed. His footsteps landed a little heavier than usual, and the strength in his fingers when he clenched his fist was greater than he expected.

He left the cave and came to an open area in the back mountain. Removing the Black Heavy Ruler from his back, he began practicing his Dou Techniques.

The Flame Splitting Flowing Wave Ruler was unleashed again and again. The ruler winds boomed through the valley, reducing several newly moved boulders to fragments.

He used only the first three layers of the Yama Palm. When the palm force was unleashed, a phantom of the Eight-Armed Yama Avatar faintly appeared behind him. Though it was far from solid, the chilling pressure it exuded already sent the birds of the back mountain scattering in panic.

Half an hour later, Xiao Yan stood with his ruler lowered.

The discomfort brought by his explosive rise in strength had been completely eliminated.

He shook his wrist and rolled his shoulders, feeling that his body had become obedient again. Every fraction of force was under his control.

Only after finishing all this did Xiao Yan leave the back mountain, descend the stone steps, and return to his room.

Over the next month, Xiao Yan continued cultivating according to his routine.

Every morning, he went to the back mountain to practice with his ruler. In the morning, he meditated in his room and circulated the Heaven-Burning Divine Art. In the afternoon, he learned alchemy from Yao Lao, and at night, he practiced Dou Techniques for a while longer.

His days were orderly and fulfilling, neither hurried nor slow.

Meanwhile, the struggle between the Xiao Clan and the Galie Clan continued.

Because the Blood-Coagulating Powder refined by Xiao Yan sold extremely well, the Xiao Clan's business in Wutan City flourished. Long lines formed outside several newly opened shops every day.

The Galie Clan's businesses, however, kept shrinking. Several shops that had once been doing decent business became deserted, and Galie Bi could no longer sit still.

He had no choice but to seek Liu Xi's aid, hoping that the Alchemist could produce new pills to counter the Xiao Clan.

After hearing why Galie Bi had come, Liu Xi sat in his chair with his legs crossed, leisurely enjoying the service of two maids. Only after a long while did he slowly put forward several excessive demands.

He wanted thirty percent of the Galie Lineage's shop profits. He wanted Galie Bi to personally find him several young and beautiful maids... Every one of those demands was comparable to an unequal treaty from the history of Xiao Yan's previous life.

Galie Bi was deeply dissatisfied, but he still needed Liu Xi to deal with the Xiao Clan. Gritting his teeth, he chose to accept.

Liu Xi nodded in satisfaction and produced a new pill—the Strength-Accumulating Pill.

This pill could increase the user's strength by about ten percent for a short period. The effect was not especially powerful, but for mercenaries who lived with blades at their throats, a ten-percent increase in strength could mean the difference between life and death. It was an extremely suitable pill for mercenaries.

After the Strength-Accumulating Pill entered the market, the Galie Clan finally managed to hold its head high for once.

Many mercenaries came upon hearing the news, and the Galie Clan regained part of its customer base. Business in its shops improved considerably.

But those good days lasted only a few days.

After Xiao Yan received the news, he brought out a First-Grade Pill—the Strength-Accumulating Elixir.

This pill could increase the user's strength by thirty percent, fully three times the effect of the Galie Clan's Strength-Accumulating Pill.

Although it cost far more than the Galie Clan's Strength-Accumulating Pill, for mercenaries, spending a few extra gold coins for a thirty-percent increase in strength was worthwhile no matter how they calculated it.

The moment the Strength-Accumulating Elixir was released, the customers the Galie Clan had just won back came rushing back to the Xiao Clan.

Not only had Galie Bi failed to regain lost ground, but the Xiao Clan seized even more of his resources.

The Xiao Clan opened more and more shops, while the Galie Clan closed more and more. In the end, Galie Bi had no choice but to sell several marketplaces for funds to maintain the clan's basic operations.

Meanwhile, the medicinal ingredients Xiao Yan had asked Ya Fei to collect gradually arrived as well.

Ya Fei personally delivered the ingredients to the Xiao Clan. Packed in several large crates, they were carried into Xiao Yan's courtyard by servants.

The Xiao Clan disciples who saw how close Xiao Yan and Ya Fei were felt greatly envious.

Ya Fei's beauty was famous throughout Wutan City. Normally, those young masters did not even have a chance to speak to her, yet now she had personally come to deliver gifts.

But they felt no resentment. With Xiao Yan's current talent and alchemy rank, he was more than worthy of Ya Fei's beauty. It could even be said that Ya Fei was reaching above her station.

Only Xun'er stood at the entrance to the courtyard, watching Ya Fei and Xiao Yan laugh and chat. Her smile remained, but a trace of barely noticeable jealousy hid in her eyes.

She pursed her lips and turned around, returning to her room.

That night, Xiao Yan knocked on Xun'er's door and handed her a small jade box.

Inside the jade box was an exquisite hairpin. A pale-blue gemstone was embedded at its tip, glowing softly beneath the lamplight.

He had specially chosen it for Xun'er at the auction house.

Xun'er accepted the jade box and opened it for a look. The jealousy on her face quickly turned into happiness.

She had Xiao Yan personally place the hairpin in her hair. After looking at herself in the mirror, she turned and asked him whether it looked good on her. The tiny bit of unhappiness in her heart had long since been tossed beyond the clouds.